The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-21
LABOR'S "FRIENDS."
What the Management of Knights of Labor
has Cost Workingmen.

Milwaukee Sentinel.
Workingmen are asking themselves what the
Knights of Labor organization is doing for them.
The collapsed strike along the Atlantic coast
brings the question into fresh prominence. Has
the organization brought workingmen and en-
ployers into more harmonious relations2 Has
it given a permanent increase of wages in any
large number of cases which increase could not
have been secured by amere trade-union2 Has
it prevented useless strkes2 Has it caused a
reduction of the hours of labor which could not
have been secured by trade union!
Last year, without the sanction of the heads
of the order. the influence of the organization
was used to institute eight-hour strikes. There
loss of weeks of work, involving many
millions of dollars that would have been received
as wages; there was the loss of situation to
thousands of workingmen. The Southwestern
railway strikes, growing out of the discharge of
man in Texas, involved hundreds of men
who had grievance, and they lost weeks of
wages and some of them lost their situations.
There were strikes at McCormicks and Armours
aud other establishments which resulted in the
loss OF weeks of wages aud the loss of situations.
Ore result of the strikes was the abandonment
Of building plans which, if they had been carried
out, would have made 1886 the most prosperous
year the workingmen of America have ever
known One other result that the labor
organization is no longer recognized by the
South western lines or by many private establish.
ments. In noue of these cases were the wages
OF workingmen permanently advanced, or their
hours or work permanently reduced, or CnelT
relations with employers placed upon a better
footing
The collapsed coal-handlers'st which led in
to the strike thousands of men who had griev
ance of their own, has ended as the others ended
There is loss of wages of So, $50, 900 and loss
Of situations by many hundreds of strikers who
| had been satisfied with their positions. The
| lost wages can never be made up To compen
| safe for these losses there is nothing to show
| Even the original strikers do not carry theil
| point but loose their work and must be support
| ed. if they are supported at all, by assessment
upon workipglnen whose Judgment won.a hav:
! condemned the whole foolish Business In nom
| of the great strikes managed by the Knights O
Labor has anything been gained for the work
| ingmen. Certainly it is time for workingmen t.
ask: What is the Knights Of Labor organiza
| ton doing for us?"
| On the heels of all these failures comes tn
announcement that the lords of the order hav
paid s65, 900 for property in Philadelphia to b
! fitted up for gorgeous Offices for the Lord Higl
| Managers This is at the expense Of working
men, who also contribute to support the foolisl
| strikes. 1t is fine exhibition of generosity 70
| a workingman to take his % cents or 80 cents
week or even more, from his own and hi
| famlys wants and give it for the support 0
| men elsewhere who are ordered into strikes b
| agitators--it is generous, but it dosent seer
| inst.